Conventional document cameras are typically used in settings such as schools, universities, courtrooms and churches. Document cameras are typically bulky, ranging from 12 lbs to 40 lbs. Bulkiness and immobility are especially problematic in schools, because the cameras can obstruct the students' view of the whiteboard and disrupt note taking. These document cameras must remain in their classrooms, which poses a risk. Since classrooms tend to be easily accessible, expensive equipment is a vulnerable target for theft. In addition, transparency projectors are loud, power consuming and large. Cameras have become cheap enough and accurate enough to eliminate the need for transparencies.
Currently, popular high-quality document cameras include the Samsung Elmo HV-110U ($692.10), the Samsung UF-80ST ($2,070.00) and the SMART Document Camera ($999.00). These cameras have an extensive list of features that are superfluous in a classroom setting. While expensive document cameras have microphone inputs, light boxes, and numerous input/output connections, these features make the products overly complicated for users who simply want to display documents, books and artifacts.